My history with pollen is a short one but powerful one!
My first dish with fennel pollen was also the first dish I made on MKR (My Kitchen Rules, Norway). We know that fennel goes beautiful with fish, so it should come as no surprise that fennel pollen works just as well.
Then I discovered honey pollen, which I use in both sweet and savory dishes. The possibilities with these 2 ingredients are endless and the search is always there to find new and interesting recipes. I came across this stunner from the award winning blogger Thalia Ho from Butter and Brioche All I can say is thank you Thalia, you have created a beauty of a dessert with two of my favorite pollens!
Fortunately for me, I have a great supplier of honey pollen and infused honeys right on my doorstep with Evasmat! My guests on Saturday were treated to this recipe and judged by their empty plates, I would say it was a winner!
(Check out http://evasmat.no to see her great range of products)
You’ll need
- 500 ml cold heavy cream
- 2 tsp powdered gelatin
- 250 ml buttermilk
- 100 g orange-blossom honey (http://evasmat.no/butikk/alemany-appelsinhonning/)
- 1 vanilla bean pod, split and seeds scraped
- 1 tsp fennel pollen
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 100 g white chocolate, finely chopped
- Bee pollen for garnish, optional (http://evasmat.no/butikk/biepollen/)
Method
- Pour half the cream into a small bowl. Sprinkle over the gelatin and give the mixture a gentle stir. Set it aside to bloom, about 5 minutes.
- Place the remaining heavy cream, buttermilk, orange-blossom honey, vanilla, fennel pollen and salt into a large heavy saucepan. Pour in the bloomed gelatin and cream mixture. Set the heat to medium-low. Stir with a wooden spoon until smooth and combined.
- Increase the heat to medium. Cook, stirring often until small bubbles start to surface around the edges of the saucepan.
- Remove from the heat and gently stir in the white chocolate until smooth. Set the mixture aside to steep, about 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, lightly brush six to eight moulds or ramekins with a little bit of neutral oil. Set them aside on a baking tray.
- Once the mixture has infused and cooled slightly, place a fine-mesh strainer over a large bowl. Strain the mixture, making sure to discard of any lumps or large pieces of fennel pollen.
- Ladle the mixture into your prepared moulds or ramekins. Then, place them in the refrigerator to chill until firm, about eight hours, or preferably overnight.
- When you’re ready to serve, place enough hot water into a shallow baking dish so that it reaches halfway up the sides of the moulds or ramekins. Set a panna cotta into the hot water for about 15-20 seconds then immediately invert it out and onto a serving plate. Repeat with the remaining panna cottas.
- Garnish the panna cottas with a sprinkle of bee pollen, a strip of candied lemon rind.
For Ottolenghi´s candied lemon, use a vegetable peeler to shave off wide strips of zest (avoid the white pith). Cut into 1-2mm thick slices, or julienne, and put into a small pan. Squeeze the lemon, add water to make up to 100ml and pour into the pan. Add 35g castor sugar, bring to a light simmer and cook for 12-15 minutes, until reduced to about a third. Set aside to cool.